Let’s learn about the rules and regulations of HORSE and how to play.
Here’s what you’ll need to play HORSE:
A basketball
A hoop
At least two players (or more)
In order to set up the game, there are a few things you need to do. You first need to decide who goes first by flipping a coin and calling Heads or Tails. You should also make sure the rim is at least 10ft above the ground and that the basketball is at a pressure of 7. 5-8.5 PSI. Once you’ve done all these things, you’re ready to start playing!
HORSE Competitions In The NBA
The game of HORSE has had a history within the NBA. It is a fun way for players to be competitive with one another while staying connected. The NBA has held three HORSE tournaments over the years: in 1978, 2009, and 2010. Paul Westphal took home the first and Kevin Durant the most recent two.
Number of Players
HORSE can be played with as many players as you want. The one requirement is that there are at least two. However, the game becomes slower and less exciting the more players it has. You do not want too many players to a point where it takes several minutes in between shots. A good number of players to have in one game is between three and six.
Deciding Who Goes First
Whoever goes first in HORSE gets the first opportunity to put the other players on the defensive. It is a coveted spot, which is why there has to be a fair way to choose who gets to go first.
A popular way to decide who goes first is by seeing who can hit a jump shot first, with the successful player getting to go first. Another method is by flipping a coin. The player who gets to shoot first picks out their first shot and attempts it.
Taking Turns Shooting
At the start of the match, players decide the order in which they will shoot. Determining the order is usually done the same way as deciding who goes first.
During the game, players alternate shooting following that order. If a player misses a shot, the person after them shoots from wherever they want on the court.
If a player makes a shot, the person after them must make the same exact shot. If they miss the shot then they will receive a letter, H for the first miss, O for the second, R for the third, and so on until the word HORSE is spelled. A player loses if they earn every letter in the word HORSE.
In a three-person HORSE game, if there are two consecutive shots made, then player 3 must make that same shot or get a letter.
Horse With Multiple Players
There are two common ways of playing HORSE. In one version, the remaining players DO NOT have to shoot if the person before them misses. In the other version, all players have to shoot the same shot that was made. Neither is considered the "official" way, although some people are more preferential to a particular version. Therefore, it just depends what version of HORSE you are playing. These are important rules that should be discussed before playing so everyone is on the same page.
Boundary Rules
Unlike the sport of basketball, there are no boundaries in HORSE. You can shoot from anywhere and a ball that bounces away is simply picked back up and play resumes.
Creativity is encouraged in the game of HORSE, so long shots outside the traditional boundaries are allowed.
Types of Shots in HORSE
As touched on earlier, creativity is key in the game of HORSE. When you’re shooting you do not need to stick to basic jump shots. Some popular shots that are used in HORSE are as follows:
Bank Shot: the ball must hit the backboard before going in.
Swish: the ball is not allowed to touch the rim.
Opposite Hand Shot: the player shooting must use their nondominant hand.
No Look: the shot is attempted without looking at the hoop.
Sitting Down: the player sits down while shooting.
Style and Trick Shots
Trick shots are an excellent way to trip up your opponents and give you a better shot to win the game. Below is a list of a few trick shots to try the next time you’re playing a game of HORSE.
Behind The Back Shot: The player shoots with their back to the rim, and throws the ball backwards.
Bounce: The ball must take a bounce off of the ground before going in.
Swish or no Swish: The ball must go through the hoop cleanly, touching only the net on its way down.
The Referee
Recreational HORSE games do not require a referee, as players can keep track of the score and determine who goes first on their own. On the occasional instance where a ruling is needed, the players talk it out and make their own rulings. Part of this is because the game of HORSE has different rules depending on where you are playing.
In official NBA HORSE games, a referee is responsible for the following:
Determining the order of players.
Deciding if a shot is legal.
Keeping track of which letters each player has.
Strategy in HORSE
In HORSE there are specific strategies used to gain an advantage over the opponent.
Opponent Weaknesses
The number one strategy is to find your opponent's weakness. For example, if they aren’t a good long range shooter, take more long range shots. If they struggle with a certain trick shot like one handed, keep doing those.
Order of Shooting
The order of who goes first in HORSE is a critical advantage. If you have the chance to go first, you can dictate what happens in the game until you miss your first shot.
Variations of HORSE
The game does not always have to be played using the HORSE acronym. Players looking for a shorter game will often play to P.I.G. while players that desire a longer game can make up their own acronym with more than five letters. Another set of differences within the game are the rules themselves.
Creative Add-On Rules
As mentioned, the game of HORSE has many variations. It can be fun to make your own rules. Below are some examples of additional rules that can be added.
Tip-ins: When the shooter misses the shot you can tip the ball in and the shooter gets a letter if the ball goes into the basket.
Restrictions: If a player has more skills than you on the court, it is possible to add restrictions such as no dunking in the game.
Shooter Gets a Letter: If all players make the same shot in the basket the original shooter gets a letter.
Championship Shot: On the final shot (the E) you get two tries to make it.
FAQ
Are you allowed to do the same shot/trick twice?
The game of HORSE is one with several variations. There is no one set of official rules that one can follow from. However, some iterations of the game state that you cannot perform the same exact shot twice. Other versions state you can do the same shot/trick as long as you didn’t previously make it. It's your decision as to which version you would like to play by.
Are you allowed to bounce the ball of objects?
Bouncing the ball off of objects or the ground is a great way to win a game of HORSE. Not only is it allowed, but it is encouraged. Throw the ball off the fence, the roof, or a tree, whatever works. It’s a tough act to follow, and with a make, the person after you will have a hard time making it themselves.
How do styles work in HORSE?
Style shots are another way to say trick shots. Style shots are an excellent way to give your opponents letters. Shots such as one handed, backwards, and no-look shots are an alternative to the traditional jump shot. They add to the fun of the game of HORSE, keeping it from being the same as the sport of basketball. It is what makes HORSE its own unique game.
How many players can play HORSE?
HORSE can be played with as many players as you want. If you had 20 people who all wanted to play, they all could. However, generally when there’s more people the game becomes less fun. That’s because it takes much longer in between your shots. If you have more than 8 players you might want to consider breaking it up into two smaller games.
What are the rules of HORSE for multiple players?
The game of horse is relatively simple. A shooting order is chosen at the beginning of the game. Players follow that order taking turns shooting. If the player in front of you makes their shot, you have to take the same exact shot. If you miss you get a letter. If you spell HORSE you lose the game. The last player without HORSE wins the game.
What happens when the first player makes the shot?
After it is decided which player gets to go first, they attempt the first shot of the game. They have free range to shoot from wherever they want. If they are to make the shot then the player after them in the order must make that same exact shot.
What happens when the first player misses the shot?
Alternatively, the first player may miss their shot. If that happens then the next player in the order still shoots, but they do not have to take the same shot that player 1 took. There is a reset of sorts and the second player can shoot whatever shot they choose to.
What happens when the second player makes the shot?
There are two different situations where the second player could make their shot. The difference is based on how many players are in the game. If there are more than two players, the third player would have to take the same shot that player two just made. If there are only two players there is a small catch. If player two makes the same shot that player one had just made, then that shot is over and player one can shoot from anywhere.
What happens when the second player misses the shot?
If the first player makes their shot, then the second player must take that same exact shot. If the second player misses then they receive a letter H for their first miss. The second player must make the same shot only if the player before them made their shot. Otherwise, they can take a shot from anywhere on the court.
Who gets to shoot first in HORSE?
Shooting first in the game of HORSE has its advantages. It allows you to put the pressure on the other players right away with a make. Due to the advantage that it holds it isn’t fair for the same person to start every game. There are two common ways to distinguish who gets to go first: a coin flip or a shootout. A coin flip works well in a two player game. A shootout is good for a game with more people, where the first to make a shot gets to go first.
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How to Play HORSE | PRO TIPS by DICK'S Sporting Goods
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Get a rein on the rules of this popular basketball driveway game and show off your shooting prowess with each shot.
A longtime staple of gym class and driveways, HORSE offers a fun and competitive reprieve from conventional basketball practice routines. Players get to invent new shot challenges and match those designed by opponents. While this game may be a classic, there are plenty of opportunities to get creative with your shots. Prove yourself to be the GOAT with the help of this HORSE guide.
HORSE EQUIPMENT
One of the great things about HORSE is that you don’t need a full court to play. Here is what you do need to saddle up:
Basketball Hoop: Unlike a traditional game of basketball, only one hoop is needed to play HORSE. This makes it easy to play in your driveway at home or on neighborhood courts. If the game is being used as an alternative practice technique, using only one hoop frees up the rest of the court for running other drills.
Need help finding the right hoop for your setup? Learn how to buy a basketball hoop for your home with our Pro Tips guide.
Basketball: While some classic games like knockout require two basketballs, you only need one to play HORSE. However, it is important to keep in mind the surface area that you are playing on. If you are playing outside, be sure that you have a rubber or synthetic ball. Leather balls can be damaged by gravel and concrete and are best used indoors.
Two or More Players: Trick shots can be practiced on your own, but in order to play HORSE, you need at least two participants. The more players you have, the longer the game will last.
RULES OF HORSE
Jockey for Position: Before the game begins, players must decide on the order in which they are going to shoot. This can be decided among the group in many ways, from a brief free-throw competition to rock, paper, scissors.
Fire Away: Whichever player was chosen to go first will choose a shot challenge. It can be as simple as a layup or as complex as spinning three times and shooting a behind-the-back shot from the foul line. As the player demonstrates their shot, they must say exactly what they are doing so the other players can accurately imitate their steps.
Replicate or Create: The next step is determined by player one’s success. If their shot makes it in the net, all of the remaining participants must attempt the exact same shot. If any of the players fail to score or follow all of the rules laid out by the shooting player, they will receive a letter of the word “horse,” starting with “H.” However, if the first player misses, the next shooter gets a chance to create a new challenge and the cycle repeats.
Spell It Out: When a player misses five shots and acquires each letter of HORSE, they are eliminated. The winner is determined when there is only one player left standing.
MORE HORSE VARIATIONS
The game of HORSE is easily customizable for whatever your needs may be, and there are a few ways to extend or shorten the game.
Race to the Finish: If you are playing with a larger group and want to speed the game up, one variation allows for players to earn a letter when they make a shot rather than when they miss one. In this gameplay, the player who spells out HORSE the quickest is the winner.
Think Outside the Stable: Another common way to extend or shorten the game is to use different words. One of the more popular variations to shorten gameplay is to use the word “P-I-G,” but longer versions like “G-I-R-A-F-F-E” can also work if you are playing with a smaller group and want to increase playing time.
DON’T BE A ONE-TRICK PONY
Part of the fun of HORSE is inventing and trying new shots that would be impossible (or impractical) in a normal basketball game. You may have a go-to move that beats the competition, but in case you want to mix it up, here are some HORSE shot ideas:
Take a Seat: Test your aim and your strength by attempting a shot from a seated position. (This can also double as a way to get a bit of rest in.)
Bounce Around: Put your dribbling skills to the test and throw in some between-the-legs moves before taking a shot.
One-Handed: If your grip strength is an asset, attempting a one-handed toss may give you an advantage over the competition. It may also help you get more velocity on long-distance shots.
No-Look: Have you ever thought to yourself, “I can do that with my eyes closed!” Well, now is your chance to prove it. Close your eyes or face backward while attempting a no-look shot.
Bring some friendly competition to your driveway with these tips on how to play HORSE. Looking for more ways to play? Work on your shooting skills with the star drill or try Knockout.
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Nikola Jokic is an anomaly: Best passing center in NBA history, drafted midway through 2nd round, loves horses more than fame and money , throwing one-footed shots, spinning one of the NBA's best defensemen in crucial minutes, hitting 11-0 late in the fourth quarter, and dragging the Nuggets to the first Finals ever.
With all the brilliance of this playoff, there is nothing more beautiful in the league: it is Jokic who symbolizes basketball, the game of graceful giants - by the fact that, in front of everyone, the cartoon with dancing hippos revives.
His story is even more remarkable:
• Jokic never wanted all this;
• loves horses more than anything;
• brought up by a brother who drank his career away with Dark Milicic;
• couldn't hold a plank for 20 seconds and likes to be heavier in general;
• Plays basketball like it's water polo.
Jokic was selected in the middle of the second round
Cheeky boy was never a secret: in 2014, Jokic came to the Nike Hoop Summit prospectus in Portland and was remembered - not for statistics (5 + 7, 0 assists), but for an impressive set of movements, soft brush, vision of the site ...
Cross-court runs, elegant turnarounds, throws at Towns, and mock feints against Capela shocked many, but the values of the player in the eyes of NBA managers did not change at all.
For all his unusualness, Jokic remained a “typical” European center – technical, of course, but also anti-athletic, slow, unable to restrain a pick-and-roll attack, limited to such an extent that no skills could help him.
Jokic was not needed so much that before the draft he even planned to withdraw altogether. This did not happen for only one reason: the president of the Nuggets, Tim Connelly, directly contacted agent Mishko Raznatovic and promised to pick up his client at number 41. Not before, of course: even the Nuggets didn't have much hope that anything good would come of this choice.
It's funny now, but in the eyes of scouts and decision makers, Jokic then lost outright to Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalil Okafor, the first and third picks in the 2015 draft. In the end, he became for centers what Curry and Doncic were for small ones: he showed the scouts that you should not revel in wingspans, vertical jump, body fat percentage and other physical characteristics so much. Sometimes the head and data polished to absolute organicity is more important than the rest.
Jokic himself was not very interested in all this: during the draft he was sleeping. He got a call from one of his brothers to tell him the news, but he was only annoyed at being woken up. And turned to the other side.
Jokic was trained in Mega, a special project of agent Raznatovic
The center did not go to the NBA immediately after the draft: he himself says that he was not psychologically ready for such a transition.
He had to tighten his belt anyway. Serbian coaches were afraid that he would be injured due to being overweight, and let him down gradually - initially, at least, they forced him to give up the standard 3 liters of cola every day.
MegaBasket is a project of the most influential agency in Europe, BeoBasket by Misko Raznatovic.
There are no special tournament tasks here, but the goal is to try out super talents. Boban Marjanovic, Ivica Zubac, Timothy Luwavu-Cabarro, Goga Bitadze grew up in Mega . .. So, purposefulness was dragged around with Jokic here: they developed passing exercises specifically for him, allowed him to run with the ball across the entire court, paid attention to dribbling, pumped confidence in to yourself…
“Close your eyes and imagine that you are playing with my daughter for a pack of chocolate cookies,” Raznatovych told him before matches.
At the age of 19, after the departure of Ratko Varda, Jokic became the leader of Mega. He scored 15.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists and, despite the fact that the team took only 10th place, he received the title of the most valuable player of the regular season.
True, even this did not help him get to Barcelona. Representatives of the Catalan club came to the winter match to agree on the terms of a future contract - it was expected that Jokic would grow in the Spanish championship for the next two or three years. But the center gave out 4 points, 3 rebounds, failed in defense, and Barcelona asked for time to think. The anecdote that Jokic missed matches due to inflammation of the ligaments of the hand, which, according to him, he received when he signed too many autographs, did not help much either.
Denver, on the other hand, liked Jokic's "unsexy body" more and more. They decided they needed to work with him.
Jokic is fat
Jokic is wearing number 15. Why?
His first children's team had 15 uniforms. Of these, only one was designed for a very large 12-year-old child: the T-shirt with the 15th number was the only one in which young Jokic stupidly fit.
When Jokic came to America, he weighed 130 kilograms. They decided to test him and put him on the plank with straight elbows: the testing lasted 20 seconds, then he decided that he was dying ... There was no question of doing push-ups at least once.
Back then, the legendary Steve Hess was still at Denver. It was he who began to change the Serbian fat man - he forced him to change his diet, worked on the percentage of fat, helped to gain physical mass. He was modeled on a special nutrition plan: Jokic was exhausted by diets lasting several months, during which he ate five times a day, but dropped 5 kilograms.
In appearance, Jokic has not changed much.
Officially, he weighs 115 kilograms, but he himself has always said that he likes to play with a lot of weight (about 125), because it is easier for him to overcome the resistance of opponents.
« I used to have no muscles. Now all the same 130 kilograms, but a couple of muscles appeared .
All this happened before the official employment. Jokic began to reformat in the summer after the draft, before his final season at Mega. Further - more and more: a record weight loss happened during quarantine, when he shocked thinness and provoked jokes about the appearance of the press.
The Nuggets have always said everything else about Jokic is flawless. You only need to work on physics. In the course of the first season, he was lost - he was the weakest on the rebound, did not have time in defense, in the end he was so tired that "the brain stopped thinking. "
The jokes on the "fat point guard" did not stop, though. After losing to the Nuggets in last year's playoffs, even Gregg Popovich couldn't resist: “Jokic is great. I hope that all this beauty will not be spoiled by a rocking chair.
Brothers looked after him
“They look like serial killers, but if you get to know them better, they are quite nice guys,” Jokic said about them.
Together with Jokic, two of his two-meter brothers, Nemanja and Strahinja, came to Denver. They yelled at him during matches, entertained him with one-on-one basketball or cards, but mostly they watched him - his diet and regimen. The three and Nikola's girlfriend lived in a three-room apartment in Denver.
It's not the first time that Nemanja Jokic has enjoyed the lifestyle of an NBA player. For 10 years before the appearance of his younger brother in Denver, he lived in the house of Darko Milicic and studied at the University of Detroit Mercy.
“I threw parties at his house or on his yacht… When I was young, I didn't think basketball was important. For me it was more important to hang out, drink, have fun with the girls. I had to think with my mind (decide that I would not go to training) at a time when I still needed control from my family. Therefore, Nikola cannot escape, we always tell him: “You live my dream, you don’t have to take it for granted. Don't make my mistakes."
Jokic has never been compared to anyone more than Darko Milicic. And perhaps it was the brothers' harsh guardianship that radically separated their careers.
Tipping Point - Nuggets Find Leader Through Harrowing Tryouts
In the winter of 2016, Zach Lowe asked Jokic if he was comfortable coming off the bench. He, as usual, laughed it off.
“Yes, I like it even better. When I go out, the opponent is already sitting on team fouls, so you can fill in the statistics through free throws.
It was at that moment that the Nuggets made a basketball discovery, which was almost six months in the making.
By the spring of 2016, it was clear that they had two roughly identical Yugoslav centers: both are technical, one is better at defending, the other is better at passing. And when the result was no longer pressing, Malone began to shove them both into the starting lineup.
In the summer he dreamed of "bigball", contrary to all trends in the development of basketball.
This is exactly how they started the next season. Yusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic appeared together, spent approximately the same playing time and interfered with each other not so much physically as psychologically. The Bosnian was taken under the 16th number and prepared for the role of the starting center, to which he gradually went - the classic "big", giving dimensions in the "paint". The Serb, on the other hand, was taken largely for the sake of interest and did not quite understand what to do next with him. Jokic was getting better, but the situation was such that he was pushed back from his native position to the fourth place, where he was clearly uncomfortable.
The Nuggets have lost five of their eight starting games. Including received "-24" from the "Golden State".
“Nikola came up to me and said, “I don't want to start anymore. Nothing works. It’s hard for me,” said Mike Malone. - He was very emotional. It turned out to be a good conversation because it was open and honest. So for a while I let him off the bench.”
17 more matches have passed. Denver continued to throw back and forth - the coach could not find a rotation that would squeeze the maximum out of the skills of both centers.
As soon as the Nuggets reached the bottom, they immediately found the answer. On December 12, they lost 20 points to Dallas, in the same match Nikola Jokic scored 27, 11 rebounds and 4 assists.
“That moment was defining,” Malone explained. - Then I decided: “We will go further with Nikola. I owe this guy, he'll be our starting center. He showed that he is ready to do all this, and if we lose, then at least he will do it with our best five.
Then Jokic forced Nurkic out of the start. The Bosnian demanded an exchange for the second time (the first time happened back in April, when Jokic had just begun to claim this place). The Denver have come to the conclusion that the plump 21-year-old guy they once picked up at number 41 will be their main star, a system-forming player, a source of a very different, alternative basketball.
The Nuggets had three wins in a row, and their starting center had a plus or minus 41 points. One of the wins came in another game with Dallas, in which Jokic scored 27 points, 17 rebounds, 9 assists. 90,003 90,002 In the last 57 games of the season, Denver had 31 wins and 26 losses and led the league in offensive efficiency during those four months.
Jokic is a quarterback of a completely different kind of basketball
Jokic invented his own kind of basketball. Quin Snyder was the first to describe it most accurately: "It's more like water polo."
There are three types of centers in the NBA.
1. Hammer sticks. They take the place of a dunker next to the "paint" and, due to incredible athleticism, snatch passes from space and forward them to the ring.
2. Fasting masters. They receive a pass a few meters from the shield, spin up the defense with feints, in the case of a double team, they drop it to the perimeter.
3. Stretch centers. They go to the perimeter, from where, theoretically, they can get in, but for the most part they assist partners.
All three groups do not overlap. There are attempts to do this - Embiid would like to be stretchy, Horford in Boston could try himself in the post against someone not too big, Marc Gasol sometimes reached the golden mean, but rarely and unstable ...
And only Jokic came to that that he can constantly press into the post, he can distribute passes, he can go out and threaten with a throw. And around that, Denver built an offense that still looks like something alien: while the attack inside is becoming less and less effective, teams are increasingly trusting a big quarterback with a mandatory three-pointer, the offense depends primarily on small ones. and the centers at key moments are sent to the reserve, to the Nuggets - everything seems to be the other way around. Rather, it seems to be the other way around. It's just that their quarterback is just a visually huge, nominal center who doesn't have a stride or stepback, but has the basketball intelligence and skills to do anything. Jokic is the same point guard, fattening up to 130 kilograms Magic Johnson . Its dimensions and name should not be confusing.
“Why am I so patient? I just can't run fast."
"Denver" long overcame a difficult dilemma. The dilemma itself was specific, but at the global level, a choice was made between the past and the future.
It's Nikola Jokic throwing an on-the-money no-look pass over his head up by 20 in Game 7 for me pic.twitter.com/PMPVYsK7PV
— Dakota Crawford (@DakotaCrawford_) September 16, 2020
The dilemma was this.
For the first half of the season, the Nuggets used what the US calls a "targeted attack." In other words, they used a certain list of interactions used in a given situation in order to deliver the ball to the desired point. Players resorted to pick-and-rolls, "isolations" and so on and looked for ways to score points through mismatches, create space and put a partner in a comfortable position.
It all makes sense, except for the fact that for those who were in Mike Malone's clip, this did not quite fit. Often the attack stalled, the Nuggets found themselves in a situation where they had to come up with something abruptly at the end of possession, a strictly regulated attack lacked dynamics and spontaneity.
In the second half, "Denver" changed the mode of the operand. The key features of a "system-based attack" are that the ball does not have a specific address, the combination includes numerous additional options and comes from what the defense allows. The Nuggets initiated an endless whirlpool of the bodies of Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Will Burton, added Paul Millsap, who was strong not only in skills but also in understanding the game, and placed Nikola Jokic, a playmaker center, in the center of the funnel. The Serb is good at posting, can shoot from a distance and has a height of seven feet, which gives him an excellent view and removes unnecessary obstacles, but he also directs the destructive force of a hurricane from small ones in the right direction. Hidden passes, handoffs, sprints, passes through the zone, fakes, unexpected inventions with passes behind the back or behind the head, magic impromptu in fast attacks - Jokic has phenomenal data, but even against their background, his peripheral vision and ability to predict the actions of the defenders would be desirable highlight separately.
Jokic swims in a personal pool, immersed in a soporific rhythm, pumping and pumping, passing and pumping. From under the sticky eyelids, the fat point guard notices points for attack and lazily approaches them - both threatening himself and constantly looking for an option for passing. He seems to see everything - he can miss or throw too risky a pass, but his reading of the game is so impeccable that Gregg Popovich does not hesitate to compare him to Larry Bird.
“Defenders can't do anything against him,” explains Paul Millsap. He sees that people are playing, how they defend themselves against him. Every time he makes the right move... And at the same time everything looks as organic as possible, he doesn't force anything... I think he reminds me of Tom Brady. He will take you apart, always read you correctly. It's unbelievable that he's capable of this at such an early stage in his career."
Everything about it is really incomprehensible.
How a fat man from the middle of the second round became a superstar.
How he ousted the one who was supposed to be the main center from the roster (and became, albeit in a different team).
How to take center stage in attack at a time when center stage is reserved only for the kids and LeBron.
How he created a completely new role for himself and pushed the boundaries of attack for the “big”. Of course, there were Walton, and Sabonis, and Divac before him, but it is Jokic who is the embodiment of the position of the point center, really the center, through which everything is built in general, on an industrial scale.
Like everything Denver does, Jokic's inner struggle with himself has come to depend on it. He landed the role at 21. He's only 25 now. And all these years - with Denver's offense consistently top 5/6 in the league - he's been balancing being aggressive and playing through partners. And it seems no coincidence that Denver came back twice from 1-3, because this soul-searching is endless.
Jokic had to be persuaded
After that, Denver still needed to persuade Nikola Jokic to accept stardom.
"I don't want to be a star because that would require me to play well every time."
The Nuggets' leader's problem has always been that his level of aggressiveness on offense has fallen short of conventional wisdom about NBA superstar activity. He himself explained this by the simplification of basketball in America: “In Europe, you are required to constantly pass the ball. You must play team basketball. In the NBA, the game is built more around individuals. "
The progress of the team demanded something else - and each time Jokic had to be pushed to a more selfish basketball, to more aggression, to a different understanding of himself.
All this is very well documented.
Jokic's rise began in the 17/18 season. After he got kicked by Paul Millsap.
“I told him to play aggressively, to be himself, and not to play with an eye on me. I don't have to give anything. This is your team - go out and do what you have to do. There are no limits for him - he could easily score a triple-double in every match if he only wanted to. We talk about it all the time. It seems to me that this is generally my main mission here - to repeat that he was aggressive from the very first minutes.
Then it was Mike Malone's turn - Jokic refused to shoot threes.
“I don't think Jokic himself realizes how good he is. Sometimes we discussed other "big ones" with him. And he told me: “I don’t think I’m as good as that guy or that guy” . .. And I answered him: “Are you not friends with your head, or something?” . When Milsap came back from injury and all this turmoil started, “Whose team is this? Nikola or Paul?” I had to call him into the office: “You don’t have to please everyone. You don't have to be passive. You are our best player. Take it".
And even after that, doubts remained.
“They made me accept this role. I didn’t take it,” Jokic himself explained. - I did not accept it, because, it seems to me, we have a good team in general and therefore we play well. I don't think one person can be a team, no one can play without a team, so for me the team is everything."
Before Jokic, only one person so stubbornly refused to accept the status of a superstar. It was Dirk Nowitzki.
He himself reciprocates the tormentors.
After the team trusted the new leader, Jokic recorded a triple-double, the club's first triple-double in four years. Mike Malone gave him the ball in the locker room. “I hugged him,” Jokic said. “I was completely naked and hugged him.”
Jokic is a fan of horses
"I don't want to be a celebrity, I'm just a regular guy."
Jokic is not particularly interested not only in superstar status and ephemeral legacy, but in general a different life than the one he was used to since childhood.
Jokic grew up in tiny Sombor and has no plans to leave.
“That's all for me. My whole life is there,” he says. Everything I have is in there. There I rest, there I enjoy life. Everything here is not for me. I just play basketball and work here, but my home is Sombor. It is a small town, there is nothing in it. There is a river and that's it. But I love people, I love my friends. Home is home."
Jokic's home is his real passion.
Since childhood, he was fond of racing and planned to connect his life with horses. Although basketball interfered with the dream, it nevertheless allowed him to become the owner of three trotters. He spends all his free time with them.
“I love nature and horses,” explains Jokic. “Each horse has its own character, like a person.”
Jokic hates referees
Jokic's main feature is considered to be the deflection throw, where the knee is used to create space.
In fact, the main feature of Jokic is revenge against the judges. Many do not like the way the game is served in the NBA, but only the Serb went further than the rest: he not only complains, but after he is not recorded violations, he takes out his anger on other players, getting stupid fouls under someone else's shield.
More than once because of this, Jokic could not play until the end of the match. So the Denver leadership had to re-educate the leader appointed by order. The center was banned from arguing with the referees, and he himself changed tactics - before the matches he learns the names of all the judges and now does not swear with them, but negotiates.
Jokic is not shy about the signature move
Any NBA player with the obligation to create his own shot has his own favorite move. Moreover, usually this element is such that it cannot be savored: lines worked out to the smallest detail, ideal forms, special grace are characteristic of both Hakim’s dream-shake, Jabbar’s hook, and throws with a deviation from Jordan / Kobe ... All this is stored in the Hall the glory of basketball, in the museum as a treasure of the past.
Jokic throws his opponents off with his dances of a drunken hippo, but his signature move is a real freak, who nevertheless feels comfortable even against a flawless background. The center jumps off one foot, extends the knee for safety and throws the ball with straight arms in a high trajectory. Even the Nowitzki knee, compared to these numbers, seems to be the epitome of impeccability. You can’t find comparisons from basketball here - it’s really something water polo, except perhaps without the obligatory jerk for underpants.
In this playoff, Jokic has become one of the most dangerous people to bombard the ring from a distance. In the bubble, he threw 204 off the paint and posted an effective hitting percentage of 57.6 (a league average of 51.8). More often he was attacked only by Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray.
No one shoots more than Jokic's average two-pointers. Anthony Davis, hailed by the Lakers as the best defenseman in the NBA, was convinced by the end of the second game that the opponent's clumsy inventions work with any level of resistance.
Jokic is the best big passer in history
A couple of years ago it seemed like a bold hypothesis, but now it's pointless to even argue. In the position of the fifth number, no one has ever got up with the ball like Jokic does.
This is quite official at both levels - both in statistics and visually.
Statistical arguments against cannot stand too much variation in the data.
Yes, statistics have undergone serious inflation in our time.
Yes, Jokic is creative in one of the most rewarding eras for attacking teams.
Yes, Jokic is entrusted with the whole offensive system. And no one else had this.
But the numbers themselves are unprecedented.
Sabonis career best assist percentage from a team - 25.
Walton career best assist percentage from a team - 29.
Chamberlain career best assist percentage from a team - 33.
Vlade Divac career best assist percentage from a team - 34.3.
Joakim Noah came closest to Jokic in the 15/16 season with 36.9%.
Jokic?
36.2% - two years ago, 39.8% - this season, 40.7% - last season .
The Nuggets center single-handedly occupied the top of the list. And he's only 25.
He's already in the top 10 in career triple-doubles (41). Among those who are higher, only one center is Wilt Chamberlain, who spent much more time on the court (78).
No one in history in his position has managed to average more than six assists per game for three years in a row . Jokic, meanwhile, only spent five seasons in the league.
But what's even more important is that all this can be seen without the nerdy immersion in numbers.
Theoretically, you can imagine a center throwing the ball into long gaps like a football quarterback.
But the rest?
Where have you seen a center arch his arm at an unthinkable angle and send a pass into the corner for a three-pointer?
Where have you seen a post post and regularly try to put the ball between opponents of very different heights?
And – most importantly – where did you see a center dribbling and inventing an unobvious pass on the run?
Perhaps the statistics do not allow objective comparison of Jokic with his predecessors, but it's hard to imagine them in similar situations. The fact that Jokic was entrusted with an entire offensive system and placed as point guard was not just a coincidence, not just a random discovery, not just a feature of the Nuggets, it was something that logically followed from his exceptional skills.
The status of the best passing center hardly means anything, because Jokic is only nominally a center. But only such a cumbersome combination allows you to best realize its uniqueness.
A ridiculous sequence from Nikola Jokic last night. pic.twitter.com/iFoiZwoDDh
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) March 27, 2019
Photo: Gettyimages.ru/Patrick Smith, Michael Reaves, Srdjan Stevanovic, Matthew Stockman, Abbie Parr; denverstiffs.com
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Play like... Michael Jordan!
The birthplace of basketball is the United States of America, and specifically - the town with the familiar name of Springfield (yes, it turns out that there are many towns with that name in the USA). And it arose there at the end of the nineteenth century. There were hard times then, schoolchildren were much less fond of physical education than we are now! After all, their only occupation in the lessons of physical education was the performance of gymnastic exercises. Boredom is mortal if nothing else is done!
But an interesting idea came to the head of a school physical education teacher. And what if physical education classes are combined with the game? Team - so that all students can participate, and mobile enough - so that the sport still remains a sport? Thinking in this way, he fixed two baskets higher and divided the students into teams, which were supposed to throw the ball into the opponent's basket and not let them go to theirs.
However, the teacher's fantasy did not work beyond inventing a new game. And therefore, no one was especially tormented by the name for the new entertainment. From the simple English words "basket" - a basket and "bol" - a ball, the name of the game "basketball" was born. It was not original, but still stuck!
Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the new sport reached its heyday precisely in the USA. Playing basketball suddenly turned out to be not only interesting, but also fashionable! It quickly became a staple in the physical education program for high school and college students, and as we know it, along with baseball, has remained there to this day. And it was from American colleges that the culture of professional support groups came: after all, girls also want to do physical education, but at the same time more aesthetically pleasing!
Who are the judges?
Nothing lasts forever under the moon and, of course, the rules of the game of basketball could not remain the same to this day as they were at the birth of this competition. In fact, it would be more honest to even say that the only thing that really survived from those distant times is the very idea of \u200b\u200bthrowing the ball into a basket located somewhere above. Even the appearance of the baskets themselves has changed a lot: before it was invented to make them full of holes, after each successful throw, you had to attach a ladder and pull the ball out by hand.
And possession of the ball, as such, did not exist in the first versions of basketball. The players stood in their places and threw the ball from the chest: to each other or into the basket. Now, as you know, things look very different!
An organization called FIBA develops the rules for modern basketball. It is she who establishes by what law the players participating in the matches of the Olympic Games or international and national competitions will be judged. Only games that are held within the framework of the championship of the NBA - the National Basketball Association of the USA are not subject to these rules.
Some popular shots that are used in HORSE are as follows:
On the occasional instance where a ruling is needed, the players talk it out and make their own rulings. Part of this is because the game of HORSE has different rules depending on where you are playing. 
They add to the fun of the game of HORSE, keeping it from being the same as the sport of basketball. It is what makes HORSE its own unique game.
They have free range to shoot from wherever they want. If they are to make the shot then the player after them in the order must make that same exact shot. 
If the second player misses then they receive a letter H for their first miss. The second player must make the same shot only if the player before them made their shot. Otherwise, they can take a shot from anywhere on the court.
As the player demonstrates their shot, they must say exactly what they are doing so the other players can accurately imitate their steps.
(This can also double as a way to get a bit of rest in.)
With all the brilliance of this playoff, there is nothing more beautiful in the league: it is Jokic who symbolizes basketball, the game of graceful giants - by the fact that, in front of everyone, the cartoon with dancing hippos revives. 
Sometimes the head and data polished to absolute organicity is more important than the rest. 
.. So, purposefulness was dragged around with Jokic here: they developed passing exercises specifically for him, allowed him to run with the ball across the entire court, paid attention to dribbling, pumped confidence in to yourself… 
The anecdote that Jokic missed matches due to inflammation of the ligaments of the hand, which, according to him, he received when he signed too many autographs, did not help much either. 
He was modeled on a special nutrition plan: Jokic was exhausted by diets lasting several months, during which he ate five times a day, but dropped 5 kilograms. 
" 
For me it was more important to hang out, drink, have fun with the girls. I had to think with my mind (decide that I would not go to training) at a time when I still needed control from my family. Therefore, Nikola cannot escape, we always tell him: “You live my dream, you don’t have to take it for granted. Don't make my mistakes." 
And when the result was no longer pressing, Malone began to shove them both into the starting lineup. 
The Denver have come to the conclusion that the plump 21-year-old guy they once picked up at number 41 will be their main star, a system-forming player, a source of a very different, alternative basketball. 
Rather, it seems to be the other way around. It's just that their quarterback is just a visually huge, nominal center who doesn't have a stride or stepback, but has the basketball intelligence and skills to do anything. Jokic is the same point guard, fattening up to 130 kilograms Magic Johnson . Its dimensions and name should not be confusing. 
Players resorted to pick-and-rolls, "isolations" and so on and looked for ways to score points through mismatches, create space and put a partner in a comfortable position. 
The Serb is good at posting, can shoot from a distance and has a height of seven feet, which gives him an excellent view and removes unnecessary obstacles, but he also directs the destructive force of a hurricane from small ones in the right direction. Hidden passes, handoffs, sprints, passes through the zone, fakes, unexpected inventions with passes behind the back or behind the head, magic impromptu in fast attacks - Jokic has phenomenal data, but even against their background, his peripheral vision and ability to predict the actions of the defenders would be desirable highlight separately. 
" 
.. And I answered him: “Are you not friends with your head, or something?” . When Milsap came back from injury and all this turmoil started, “Whose team is this? Nikola or Paul?” I had to call him into the office: “You don’t have to please everyone. You don't have to be passive. You are our best player. Take it". 
“I hugged him,” Jokic said. “I was completely naked and hugged him.” 
He spends all his free time with them. 
Moreover, usually this element is such that it cannot be savored: lines worked out to the smallest detail, ideal forms, special grace are characteristic of both Hakim’s dream-shake, Jabbar’s hook, and throws with a deviation from Jordan / Kobe ... All this is stored in the Hall the glory of basketball, in the museum as a treasure of the past. 
In the bubble, he threw 204 off the paint and posted an effective hitting percentage of 57.6 (a league average of 51.8). More often he was attacked only by Kawhi Leonard and Jamal Murray. 
Jokic, meanwhile, only spent five seasons in the league. 
pic.twitter.com/iFoiZwoDDh 
The best basketball games with the coolest graphics are collected on our website - choose any and start your virtual training! Moreover, all of them are available to you completely free of charge and without installation on your computer. 
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3743716/horse_football.0.jpg)
In fact, it would be more honest to even say that the only thing that really survived from those distant times is the very idea of \u200b\u200bthrowing the ball into a basket located somewhere above. Even the appearance of the baskets themselves has changed a lot: before it was invented to make them full of holes, after each successful throw, you had to attach a ladder and pull the ball out by hand. 
